Chapter 8

#Chapter 8 – Protect our Mom!

“Mama!” shouts Alvin, turning the corner and seeing Evelyn collapse on the floor. Her face is pale, her brown hair spread around her.

“Mama!” shouts Alvin, turning the corner and seeing Evelyn collapse on the floor. Her face is pale, her brown hair spread around her.

Ian lets out a shriek and runs past his brother, throwing himself across the room towards Evelyn. Victor intercepts him halfway, catching Ian by the waist on instinct and holding him back. Victor reaches for Alvin as well, but misses. Alvin skids on his knees to his mother’s side, pushing back her hair.

“Mama?!” he cries.

“Alvin, stay back!” Victor calls after him, looking over Evelyn to make sure that she’s breathing. She is –

peacefully, at that. She’s just fainted a little, too much emotional strain. Victor continues to hold back the thrashing Ian, who won’t do his mother any good climbing all over her.

“You hurt our mother! You are a BAD man!” Ian shrieks, fighting to get out of Victor’s grasp.

“What did you do to her!?” Alvin sobs, beginning to bare his teeth and betraying his usually-gentle nature. “You are a bully! You are bad!”

Victor opens his mouth to call the boy away from Evelyn but realizes, suddenly, that he doesn’t yet know his name. “Come…” he stutters, “come here…son.” Victor curses himself, inwardly, for being so awkward.

Alvin growls at Victor and crawls closer to his mother, his wolf nature and protective instinct beginning to show. Ian continues to thrash in Victor’s arms, now using his teeth and nails on the arm that holds him back.

“Listen!” Victor booms, and both boys pause, responding to the Alpha authority in his voice. “You will BE. CALM.” Victor stills in his arms, and Alvin sniffs, wiping away his tears.

“Your mother is fine,” Victor says, speaking slowly and carefully. His heart tugs, seeing them so upset.

They’re just kids.

Victor takes a moment to look at his boys, Alvin crouching by his mother, bravely meeting his eyes while clenching his jaw against his teers. Victor with teeth still bared, glaring up at him, obedient to his authority but resistant none the less.

Victor can’t help huffing a laugh. If he needed further proof that they were his boys, here it is. Carbon copies of the two halves of his own nature.

At his laugh, Ian growls and digs his sharp baby teeth into Victor’s wrist. “Don’t you laugh at us!” He yells. “We’ll KILL you!”

“Ow!” Victor pulls his arm away at the sharp bite and Ian skitters across the hall to crouch next to his brother.

“All right,” Victor says, hands out towards the boys as a sign of peace. “Everything’s okay. Your mom just fainted – she’s going to be fine.”

Alvin and Ian look at each other, a silent communication passing between them. Were they mind-

linked, so young? Or is it just some kind of twin-speak? Victor shakes his head in wonder.

“Momo!” shouts Alvin, turning the corner ond seeing Evelyn collopse on the floor. Her foce is pole, her brown hoir spreod oround her.

Ion lets out o shriek ond runs post his brother, throwing himself ocross the room towords Evelyn. Victor intercepts him holfwoy, cotching Ion by the woist on instinct ond holding him bock. Victor reoches for Alvin os well, but misses. Alvin skids on his knees to his mother’s side, pushing bock her hoir.

“Momo?!” he cries.

“Alvin, stoy bock!” Victor colls ofter him, looking over Evelyn to moke sure thot she’s breothing. She is –

peocefully, ot thot. She’s just fointed o little, too much emotionol stroin. Victor continues to hold bock the throshing Ion, who won’t do his mother ony good climbing oll over her.

“You hurt our mother! You ore o BAD mon!” Ion shrieks, fighting to get out of Victor’s grosp.

“Whot did you do to her!?” Alvin sobs, beginning to bore his teeth ond betroying his usuolly-gentle noture. “You ore o bully! You ore bod!”

Victor opens his mouth to coll the boy owoy from Evelyn but reolizes, suddenly, thot he doesn’t yet know his nome. “Come…” he stutters, “come here…son.” Victor curses himself, inwordly, for being so owkword.

Alvin growls ot Victor ond crowls closer to his mother, his wolf noture ond protective instinct beginning to show. Ion continues to throsh in Victor’s orms, now using his teeth ond noils on the orm thot holds him bock.

“Listen!” Victor booms, ond both boys pouse, responding to the Alpho outhority in his voice. “You will BE. CALM.” Victor stills in his orms, ond Alvin sniffs, wiping owoy his teors.

“Your mother is fine,” Victor soys, speoking slowly ond corefully. His heort tugs, seeing them so upset.

They’re just kids.

Victor tokes o moment to look ot his boys, Alvin crouching by his mother, brovely meeting his eyes while clenching his jow ogoinst his teers. Victor with teeth still bored, gloring up ot him, obedient to his outhority but resistont none the less.

Victor con’t help huffing o lough. If he needed further proof thot they were his boys, here it is. Corbon copies of the two holves of his own noture.

At his lough, Ion growls ond digs his shorp boby teeth into Victor’s wrist. “Don’t you lough ot us!” He yells. “We’ll KILL you!”

“Ow!” Victor pulls his orm owoy ot the shorp bite ond Ion skitters ocross the holl to crouch next to his brother.

“All right,” Victor soys, honds out towords the boys os o sign of peoce. “Everything’s okoy. Your mom just fointed – she’s going to be fine.”

Alvin ond Ion look ot eoch other, o silent communicotion possing between them. Were they mind-

linked, so young? Or is it just some kind of twin-speok? Victor shokes his heod in wonder.

“What are your names?” Victor asks, but the boys continue to look only at each other, ignoring him.

“Boys?” He waits. “How old are you?”

Wrapped up in each other, the boys continue to pay him no mind. Victor leans back against the hallway wall, hands in his pockets, taking them in. God, they are amazing, he thinks. Good looking boys and, obviously, smart. And, inconveniently, also very dedicated to their mother.

Victor shakes his head, realizing that his original plan – to take the boys and buy Evelyn off with a generous surrogate fee – is never going to work. He forgot, of course, to take the boys’ affections into consideration.

Evelyn is a dedicated mother, surely they love their mother as much as Victor does his own. It’s not an affection Victor talks about much, but the mother/son bond amongst wolves is…powerful.

Ian turns to Victor, his silent meeting with his twin apparently finished. “When will she wake up?” he asks, his face still sharp with anger and worry.

“Any minute now,” Victor says, shrugging. “She just had a tough afternoon. Think of it as a…tiny nap.

She’ll be up soon, and she’ll be glad to see you. Especially if I can tell her that you were good and behaved yourselves.”

Alvin narrows his eyes at him. “Why did she need a nap? Were you mean to her? Were you a bully?”

“No, nothing like that,” Victor says, smiling and shaking his head as the lie falls smoothly from his lips.

“She just had a shock.”

“What kind of shock?” Ian asks, eyes probing. “Did you ask her to marry you?”

“What!?” Victor loses his composure in his surprise, his mouth falling open.

“Well, she’s our mother, and you’re our father,” Ian explains slowly, speaking to Victor as if he were the child. “Parents are married, right?”

“Um,” Victor says, buying time as he laughs and drags a hand down his face. God, what a day. “A lot of times, yes, but not always.”

“You can’t have a baby without being married,” Alvin says, rolling his eyes to him. “We know mommy isn’t married anymore, but now that you’re here…”

“What did…” Victor says, treading carefully, “What did your mother tell you about your dad? About…

me?”

“She said you were very busy doing big, big work.” Ian said, using his arms to show Victor just how big the work was. “And that you love us, and are proud of us, but you can’t live with us because you are so busy doing the important things.”

Victor nods. “Well, your mom has it half right,” he says. “I do love you, I am proud of you, but…I always wanted to be with you. I am never too busy to see you. Your mommy did a bad thing – she took you away from me without telling me where she went.”

The boys hackles start to raise at this criticism of their mother. Tiny growls rise in their throats. Victor puts his hands out again, supplicating and trying not to laugh at their defense of their mother. Really, it was very charming.

“Listen, your mom thought she was doing the right thing. She did her best, but it was, really, the wrong thing. She made a mistake. Do you understand?”

The boys narrow their eyes at him and look at each other again for a moment. Then they return their eyes to Victor, unimpressed.

“I just want you to know,” Victor says, surprised at the emotion evident in his voice, “that I never wanted to be anywhere but with you. I’m your father, and I want to be…I want to be your dad. Very much.

Nothing could have kept me away – your mom just…she didn’t tell me…”

He faded off at the end there, unsure of the best way to explain.

The boys appraise him, again silent. Then Alvin speaks for both of them. “We want you to be our dad too,” he says, offering a very small smile. “But not without mom” he says, pointing to her for emphasis.

“You should get married.”

Almost as Alvin has said a magic word, Evelyn gasps a deep breath and raises herself until she’s sitting. She rubs her head, blinking and coming to. “Mommy!” Ian says, throwing himself at her in a big hug. Alvin climbs into her lap and holds her face in his palms. “Mama!”

Evelyn falls back slightly “Ian, Alvin…” she says, working to sit up. “Go easy on me…”

“Evelyn,” Victor says, drawing her attention to him. As she blinks and sees him standing there, it’s as if the events of the day hit her again. What color she has drains from her face as she exhales all of her breath in one puff.

The boys cuddle against her, eager to be close to their mom. “I have a meeting, Evelyn,” Victor says, glancing at his watch. “I can’t stand here all day.”

“Fine,” she says, wrapping her arms around Ian and Alvin but not breaking Victor’s stare. “Go.”

“I’ll be by in a few days,” he says, “for the boys.” He lowers his brow, his voice thick with meaning.

“Yay!” shouts Ian, genuine happiness on his face. “We get to visit dad!”

Victor smiles at him, pleased to see that at least one of the three is happy with the plan. Then he returns his gaze to Evelyn and his face falls back into strict lines. She shouldn’t expect any concessions, she knows, just from looking at him. He is merely giving her time to say goodbye, because it wouldn’t be in his best interest to rip her boys from her now, after he’s seen how much they love her.

His meaning clear, Victor nods at all three and stalks out the back door.

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